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Thank you, Lord, for bring Hunter back into my life. My heart has come roaring back to life, and no matter what happens, I’m grateful.

When the kiss ended she wanted to cry out with frustration. She needed him. Now. Tonight. Always. If this was going to end in a few days when he left Savannah to return to his normal life, she wanted to love him until the very end.

New York. Tokyo. London. His life was so very different from the world she lived in. Soon they would be worlds apart. But right now, for this one moment in time, she was going to relish the time spent with him and hope that her heart didn’t shatter again when they said their goodbyes.

**

As orange and yellow streaks of dawn poured through this bedroom window, Hunter gazed out at the beautiful Georgia sunrise. He hadn’t been able to sleep well last night after he’d arrived at home. His thoughts were so jumbled up. He was still worried about Joshua and the issues that were plaguing him. And his thoughts continued to veer toward Olivia. Sweet, sensitive Olivia. Just thinking about his current predicament made his heart ache.

Being by Olivia’s side was something he could imagine doing for the rest of his days. The thought came out of nowhere, sending shock waves coursing through his entire body. No woman had ever made him feel the way Olivia did. No other woman had ever inspired him to think of slowing down the frantic pace of his life and making room for the normal, everyday things. Like archery. Or jamming out to a rhythm and blues band. Or taking a ride in the country on his motorcycle with Olivia's arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the images that kept playing through his head. Olivia was in his heart and soul now, embedded like a permanent tattoo. Somehow over the past few days she'd wedged her way into his heart so that he could no longer imagine a life without her.

He'd been awake for a while now, going over several scenarios in which he'd come clean with Olivia and tell her the unvarnished truth about his acquisition of Renault. He knew he owed her the truth, but how could he tell her on the morning of Jax and Callie’s wedding? The admission would cause chaos, potentially ruining Olivia’s role in the nuptials.

If there was a way he could turn back the clock and make different choices, he wouldn't hesitate to do it. What had once seemed so important to him a few days ago didn't matter at all to him. His business meant absolutely nothing if he lost Olivia.

There had only ever been one Olivia Renault. One gorgeous, soul-stirring woman who had made him rethink the things that truly mattered in his life. He sucked in a deep, fortifying breath and prayed for strength of purpose.

“All we need is love.” Olivia Renault

Chapter Fourteen

The Historical Society's grand mansion was lit up as brightly as a Christmas tree as guests arrived for Savannah's wedding of the year. Olivia surveyed the ballroom, marveling at the beautiful floral arrangements and pumpkin spice candles that graced every table. The wedding ceremony had been beautiful down to every last detail. Callie was a beautiful bride in her vintage ivory gown while Jax looked dashing in his ivory suit. Their vows had brought her to tears, and when she'd glanced over at Hunter, his face had been filled with emotion.

At the moment the happy couple was slow dancing to Etta James’ classic ballad “At Last.” Callie’s brother, Mac Donahue, had come to the wedding from Cape Cod with his fiancée, Delilah and a bunch of his brothers. Olivia couldn’t keep them all straight, but they were all equally good looking with beautiful wives. The one named Wyatt was a famous baseball player. And Hunter knew one of them—Brandon—from the business world.

Her eyes teared up as she watched Jax hold Callie in his arms and glide her across the dance floor. They made such a beautiful couple. Love, and all its infinite possibilities, she thought. Being a part of such joy made her feel hopeful about her own love life. If Callie and Jax, then Mae and Daddy, had found love together after all these years, was it possible that she and Hunter could experience the same kind of kismet?

Deep down in her heart she believed it was possible.

“You look beautiful in that dress,” Hunter whispered in her ear as he came up behind her. “What color is that, anyway?”

She whirled around to greet him. “It's green. Sage green,” she said with a smile. So he does like sage green crepe de chine! Score!

He placed his hand in hers and pulled her towards the dance floor. “They're playing our song,” he said as the band began playing a rhythm and blues song.

“We don't have a song,” she said with a giggle.

“We do now,” he said as he held her against his chest and began to sing in a low voice along with the music.

Olivia had never considered herself much of a dancer, but in Hunter's arms she felt as if she was floating on a cloud. She closed her eyes and pressed her head against his chest, experiencing a type of contentment she'd never felt in her life. Hunter's arms were sure and steady; He made her feel safe with his strong arms wrapped around her, crooning in her ear.

Her eyes fluttered open and she locked gazes with Hunter, practically melting as she recognized the romantic glint in his eyes. She looked away for a moment, not wanting to embarrass herself by making a spectacle on the dance floor. She wondered if everyone in the room could see what was shimmering inside her. She loved this man!

Olivia spotted Marcus standing at the edge of the dance floor with a brooding expression on his face, his eyes glimmering with resentment. He was staring straight at her and Hunter with a look of contempt that he didn't bother to mask. What was going on with him? He'd skipped the wedding ceremony and had only shown up at the reception a few minutes ago. Was he still steaming over last night's scuffle with Joshua? Did Marcus hate Hunter so much that he resented the thought of them being together?

Olivia watched Marcus walk over to her father and Mae, his steps full of purpose as he made a bee-line for the dais. She saw him pull a piece of paper from his breast pocket and hold it up for her father's perusal. The seconds felt as if they were going by in slow motion as she watched her father's face drop and a stricken expression come over him. Mae clamped her hand over her mouth and she began to weep.

Olivia pulled away from Hunter, feeling frantic as she raced to her father's side. She heard Hunter calling her name, but she didn't stop until she'd reached the dais. Her father's complexion looked ashen while Mae was trembling and wiping tears away as they trickled down her face.

“What's wrong, Daddy?” she asked, tugging on his arm.

Marcus shot her a smug look, his handsome face gleaming with excitement as he said, “I shared some information with your father that came as an unpleasant surprise. He’s going to need a few minutes to wrap his head around it.”

Olivia didn’t like the sound of it. Marcus was practically gloating. “What information? What's going on?”

“Here. Read it for yourself,” Marcus said as he held up an official looking document, then thrust it at her. “It's right here in black and white.”

Olivia snatched the paper from Marcus, her eyes greedily reading the paperwork that had sent everyone into such a tailspin. The words on the page jumped out at her, shocking her so badly that her fingers began to violently tremble as the meaning of the words began to sink in.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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